Xolie Morra Cogley is a musician in Seattle, and leader of the band Xolie Morra and the Strange Kind. “I’ve always been into music since I was very little," Cogley says. "And so music, I think, really helped to move me in a more social direction, because I didn’t really do a lot of talking when I was little. But I developed a communication skill using music that helped me fit into certain groups. So I didn’t have to have conversations. I was just playing music.” Using music as a sort of language

We start with a man translating traditional blues into Yiddish . Next, we join "the Jane Goodall of the whales," as she eavesdrops on orcas . Then, an effort is made to rethink how an endangered native language should look on the page. Finally, a rabbi uses modern music to help save a language from extinction. Sound Effect showcases stories inspired by the place we live. The show is hosted by KNKX's Gabriel Spitzer . You can hear the broadcast version of the show below, which also contains a

We start with a man who is fighting for better access to sidewalks for people with mobility issues. Next, the story of a man who started the first Black Panther chapter outside of California when he was 17. Then, a couple of activists take on a dictator , and pay the ultimate price. Also, a restaurant that featured a racist caricature was a beacon of bigotry in Seattle. Finally, nuns get a say with gun makers by buying their company stock. Sound Effect showcases stories inspired by the place we

This episode orignally aired on February 24, 2018. This week on Sound Effect, we share stories some of the biggest fans in the region. We start by learning some meeting a huge fan of 70’s and 80’s arena rock, who was called on stage recently to perform in place of the lead singer of Loverboy. Next, we meet a woman who found a personal connection with the movie Amadeus. Also, we learn how the worlds of being a nerd and burlesque are paring up. Then, one of Seattle’s biggest sports fans shares how

This story originally aired on June 30, 2018. This week we spend the hour with stories from Harborview Medical Center, the Level 1 Trauma Center covering four states and nearly 100,000 square miles. We hear the story of a tragic house fire in Alaska that gave rise to a world-class medevac system. We visit a clinic serving refugees, and a club where staff and patients blow off steam by laughing at nothing. We get to know psychiatric patients getting counsel from people who have been in their

Some kids go straight to college after high school. But Marisa Comeau-Kerege went to Senegal. She knew she wanted to do a gap year, she spoke a little French, and this francophone country in West Africa seemed like a great fit. So she signed up for a service program and began to prepare. She expected a bit of culture shock, but once she got there she realized how unprepared she really was. Everything was new, all the time, she says. And there were times when she felt very homesick. Meanwhile, in

Some kids go straight to college after high school. But Marisa Comeau-Kerege went to Senegal.

We start with a deeper look at Frog and Toad , and why Frog wanted to be alone . Next, a bus driver thaws the “Seattle Freeze” for a passenger. Then, a woman battles a voice that encourages her to do destructive things. Finally, a marriage is strengthened, even though the couple is separated by iron bars .

A version of this essay was originally published by Fatherly , an online parenting magazine. Geoffrey Redick is a producer for All Things Considered, who joined KNKX in April 2018 after a decade working part time as a producer and full time as a stay-at-home dad. In this podcast episode, Geoffrey shares his essay and discusses it with another working dad, Sound Effect host Gabriel Spitzer. I sort of backed into writing for online publications in 2015, when I was taking a break from daily radio

We start with a woman talking about the value of her father lending a gentle ear and a gentle voice when she was growing up. Next, a son joins his father to take part in a journey that his dad started 43 years earlier. Then, a look inside a book made by prison inmates on McNeil Island for their children, to share what life was like for them. Finally, a man finds his way into the medical profession, but on his own rather than from the pressure of his father.